Brisbane's long-lost Cloudland and the short-lived Luna Park next to it are two of the highlights of a new book delving into the city's art deco heritage.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Brisbane Art Deco collects dozens of examples of the iconic inter-war look that swept the world from 1925 until World War II.
Author Kim Wilson received a Brisbane City Council grant to put together the book, which features pictures and prints of the art deco examples we still have – and those we destroyed.
"We've dug up quite a lot of archive pictures of buildings we've lost, including a lot of our theatres and pubs unfortunately," she said.
"Cloudland is the most significant one that everyone would know ... it was part of the Luna Park development, and the plans they had for that looked very art deco."
In the planning since the mid 1930s, the funfair mogul T.H. Eslick (responsible for Melbourne's Luna Park in 1912) had plans for a great fun fair alongside the centrepiece of the Cloudland ballroom.
Some basic rides and attractions were opened alongside Cloudland in August 1940, but the war meant visitors were thin on the ground.
By January 1941 the Luna Park idea had been scrapped and only the ballroom survived – until that fateful night in November 1982 when the notorious Deen Brothers smashed it into history.
Wilson said art deco buildings had social history tied to them, such as department stores like Finney Isles & Co and T.C. Beirnes providing work for women.
The location of apartment buildings such as Hampton Court at Clayfield and Carmel Court at South Brisbane along old tram lines reflected the surbubs being developed in Brisbane at the time.
And Ms Wilson said she was also intrigued to learn about how Brisbane's art deco buildings were used during the Great Depression and World War II.
"At McWhirters, for example, they distributed food parcels and lunches because it was such a central hub that everyone knew, and the Hornibrook Bridge offered employment opportunities during the Great Depression," she said.
"UQ's Forgan-Smith building was occupied by the Australian Army, and the Waterloo Hotel was occupied by US soldiers - I actually found some vouchers that they used to exchange for food and drink at the Waterloo."
Ms Wilson said with a small but significant art deco heritage, it was important to retain that layer of Brisbane history.
"I think we need to progress and reinvent our own styles as we go forward, but I do think we need to protect them and keep them as examples of that period," she said.
Brisbane Art Deco will be available through the website from June 10.
